Robot

Did you ever have one of those random egg transformers as a kid? You might have gotten one out of a vending machine, or maybe you got one as part of the Meteorbs sub-line of the Masters of the Universe line. Well, they both have a common ancestor – the Tamagoras (タマゴラス) line by Bandai.

The original Tamagoras line consisted of 22 different eggs that transformed into a specific creature. They all featured intricate transformations and a very sci-fi or robotic inspired alternate mode.

E-05 Robot was the fifth release in the line, and the first non-animal release. The compact box has a nice clear window and beautiful playful artwork all over.

Inside you get the toy, instructions, catalog, info card and weapon.

the info card is interesting, and is laid out like a playing card. Each Tamagoras release has a unique card that (I think) basically talks about the type of character this is. I find it interesting that they used Machine Robo toys as an example of Robots.

Instructions are reasonably clear.

The catalog has a nice example of what else Bandai was offering in 1984.

The egg is only a few inches long, and the seam lines are not that well hidden. There’s no mistaking this for actual produce, although the size is about right.

Twist and pull the panels according to the instructions. Some joints are rather tight.

The robot mode is sort of dorky, with it having a giant egg for a body and all. It’s very well made, and some parts have stickers pre-applied.

Articulation is OK, but as you can guess it is prone to falling over. Still, the joints are nice and tight.

The gun is nice, but the fit is rather tight. Even with the gun, the Egg Robot is rather unthreatening.

I never quite got the point of this line, but Bandai made a lot of gag toys back in the 80s, and this was probably an attempt to merge their successful transforming toy technology with something a bit cuter and fun. It will always be sort of an oddity in the history of Japanese toys.